From the President

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is deeply connected to higher education. An estimated 70% of our members work in various capacities at colleges and universities, and ninety-two institutions of higher learning are Academy Affiliates. While our publications and projects always consider colleges and universities as an important constituency, we have not focused on higher education as a topic itself for several years. This year we revitalized the Education program area, with important work now taking place on three fronts.

Earlier this year, in anticipation of the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, we convened a group of higher education leaders from our Affiliates network to discuss the broad implications of the decision and reaffirm a commitment to diversity and inclusivity on campuses in any legal paradigm. This group came back together for a late summer conference at the House of the Academy, where they worked to formulate a set of actionable recommendations. The group will reconvene in the coming months to discuss methods for implementation, outreach, and assessment.

We have also begun a new project. In 2015, the Academy launched the Commission of the Future of Undergraduate Education, which identified troubling systemic inequalities in the higher education sector. In the time since its report was published in 2017 (and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic), the opportunity gap has only widened. Our new project seeks multi-sector collaboration to identify effective strategies to make progress on these issues. Currently titled “Opportunities After High School,” the project will bring the K-12, higher education, and business sectors together under one tent, breaking down the silos that have served to perpetuate the problems of the past. You can read more about this project on the pages that follow.

Lastly, this year marked the second annual convening in Aspen, CO, of the Higher Education Forum since the Academy acquired the Forum in 2021. By all accounts, the meeting was a great success. We brought together more than one hundred chancellors, presidents, provosts, deans, and other key stakeholders in higher education, including many leaders from our growing network of Affiliates. Topics of discussion were timely and forward looking, including the affirmative action decision, of course, along with artificial intelligence and free speech on campus.

I am delighted that the Education portfolio has reemerged as a robust complement to the strong work taking place in the other program areas at the Academy. I hope you will enjoy reading about this and the many other accomplishments from the year. I am ever mindful that this good work happens only with the interest, collaboration, and support of our members. Thank you for all you do to advance the mission of the Academy.

David W. Oxtoby